Interview with Maria Sharapova

The famous Russian tennis player, Maria Sharapova, who has been named the Ambassador for the Russian 2014 Winter Olympics Bid Committee, told Russia Today about her efforts to help the Russian city of Sochi to win the bid, and to make life of the people a

Russia Today: What will be some of your duties in your new role, as the Ambassador for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games?

Maria Sharapova: Well, I think I am going to raise awareness of the city. The next stage is going be very crucial for the election. I am definitely going to travel around the world in the next few weeks to let people know what an amazing city Sochi is. And I am very proud of where I am from. I lived there for five years from the age of 2 to 7, and I moved because I could not get any training facilities during the winter, and because of my career. I think this is going help so many athletes especially in winter sports, and definitely bring a great legacy to our country.

RT: Maria, as you mentioned, you have a very close connection to Sochi, you have grown up there, and learning to play tennis there – what do you think makes Sochi such an ideal city to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games?

M.S.:It is an incredible city, it is beautiful. I think a lot of athletes will find it pretty interesting. After they can go down, down, a slope they can drive for an hour – and jump into the Black Sea. And there are so many things to do – to see a younger crowd, many restaurants, music, the circus. That was my favourite place when I was growing up. And definitely there is something to see.

RT: This year you were named the UN Developmental Programme Goodwill Ambassador. What will be some of the focus of your work with that programme?

M.S.: That is the Chernobyl part. I opened my foundation last August and it is meant towards helping kids - basically helping them realise that crazy dreams are possible, especially for kids who don